Work Life Balance
Creating a healthy work life balance at work is more than putting plants on your desk. It involves taking time out of your day to mentally, emotionally and physically release yourself from the stress your mundane activities press against you and allow yourself to be a positive, balanced individual who is fun to be around – both for employers and your family.
Balancing work and life is a constant harmonizing act. When one 9-5 job ends, your life as a parent starts. Job satisfaction and communicating with your partner are largely the main contributors in a work life balance; without one, there can be no true harmony.
Figuring out how to actually create this work and life balance is a lot harder than simply telling you to do it. Knowing when to say no to work, when to just order pizza for dinner and understanding the most calming way to arrange your desk can do wonders for your work life balance.
The scary part of not creating a strong work life balance is the physical effects that stress can give you: headaches, stomach pain, inflammatory bowel disease, sleep problems and back pain can all be caused by stress. More importantly, long term stress can cause hypertension and make you more susceptible to stroke or heart attacks.
How to Form a Work Life Balanced Work Place
When you think of stress what is the first place you think of? Most likely, the answer is work. According to a study done by Microsoft, the average worker spends 45 hours a week at work. According to the Center for Work Life Policy, managers and other individuals at the top of the work ladder on average log in 70 hours a week; include with this the facts that 49% of small business managers make business calls and check email while driving, and that 18% even read emails in the bathroom to make the most of their time.
The fact is that a healthy work life balance is hard to come across in today’s working world. So, how do you form a work life balanced work place with everything working against you?
Here are some tips and pointers on creating a less-stressful more balanced work atmosphere:
- Delete stressful work files from your brain – Focus on something new, take a walk outside the office, or talk to a coworker in the break room. You will come back to the task feeling refreshed.
- Balance your body – Take time out of your day for a couple minutes for the stress to melt off your bones. Put both feet on the floor, close your eyes, breathe normally and think about the happiest place on earth. Experience this place with all five senses; inhale, exhale, smell and listen.
- Give full credit to others around you – When you allow your work life balance ideals to spread to the people who affect your state of mind, offering good vibes and mentioning their help in a project will really help the overall feel of the office.
- Always look for the compromise – Don’t look to win a fight or an argument. Look for the compromise; it’ll make you and your coworkers feel better about the work that needs to get done.
Balancing Work and Life
A healthy life is comprised of many social and economic factors. Below are the items in your life that, when properly balanced, should equal a positive work life balance:
- Hobbies/interests
- Religious/spiritual concerns
- Friends and colleagues
- Career/job
- Family/relationships
- Community activities
- Self care/sports/exercise
- Future plans and projects
These different parts of your life, when balanced according to the wants and needs of your schedule, should give you the work life balance you need. When we say balanced according to your life, what it means is the percentage of energy and time you give to each piece will be different from other people, based on your place in life. If you just had a baby, the percentage of time on your family will be more than if you are a young professional. In the latter case, you might spend more time and energy on self care or community activities.
No matter what the case, taking time out to participate in all of the aforementioned activities will help with your work life balance and make you feel less hurried.
